Champagne Law Firm, a Nashville-based law firm with offices across Middle and East Tennessee, is providing legal counsel to landowners navigating the increasingly complex process of selling or donating land to conservation groups. Attorney Kelly Champagne-Deutekom told Charity Journal that conservation transactions can put landowners in a tough position, with conservation groups often offering valuations well below what a private appraiser might return.
Champagne Law Firm highlights the legal complexity behind conservation deals
At the moment, conservation transactions in Tennessee take several forms. Landowners can pursue an outright sale or a conservation easement that retains ownership while restricting development.
There is also the option of a bargain sale that combines a partial donation with a discounted sale price, or a full donation tied to tax planning. Each structure carries different tax implications, appraisal requirements, and long-term obligations that Champagne-Deutekom says require legal counsel to navigate properly.
Tennessee protected thousands of acres in 2025 through partnerships between The Nature Conservancy, The Conservation Fund, the Hatchie River Conservancy, and state agencies, with conservation organizations often purchasing land and holding it while the state secures funds to convert it into public parkland.
Presently, the activity is accelerating with The Nature Conservancy aiming to protect 50,000 new acres in Tennessee between 2020 and 2030.
Champagne-Deutekom told Charity Journal that the bargain sale is the structure conservation groups lean on most heavily when approaching landowners with desirable property. The arrangement requires a landowner to understand the difference between a private appraisal and what a conservation group offers, and to assess whether the tax scenario makes the gap worthwhile.
For landowners already committed to conservation, she said, that calculation often works. Meanwhile, for those weighing it against a developer’s offer, it frequently does not.
“Land conservation is not just a transaction, it is a long-term decision that impacts families, communities, and future generations,” said Champagne-Deutekom. “Our goal is to help clients make informed decisions that align with their financial goals and their vision for the land.”
When federal red tape kills a deal
Champagne-Deutekom told Charity Journal about a specific case handled by Champagne Law Firm that illustrates the structural risks built into conservation transactions. A landowner in Hartford, Tennessee, sought to preserve more than 500 acres through a bargain sale that would have extended the Cherokee National Forest and protected 1.5 miles of Pigeon River frontage, a property housing bear, elk, deer, synchronous fireflies, multiple waterfalls, and a river island.
The project received high-priority designation from the US Forest Service, support from Cocke County, and backing from the Tennessee Congressional delegation. The Nature Conservancy and The Conservation Fund worked jointly to complete the acquisition.
More than 18 months into the process, The Conservation Fund informed the landowners it could not close without funding assurances from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, citing federal delays as the reason no closing date could be given. That timeline, the firm indicated, could stretch into years.
The Nature Conservancy coordinated a nationwide campaign in 2025 to defend public lands after federal and state conservation programs came under threat, mobilizing members to send 100,000 letters to Congress and successfully blocking proposals to sell public resources.
Despite those advocacy wins, the federal funding uncertainty that stalled the Hartford deal reflects a systemic challenge that Champagne-Deutekom noted that landowners rarely anticipate when they enter negotiations. Presently, the 500-acre property is listed for private sale.
A bird in hand
Champagne-Deutekom told Charity Journal that developers typically offer appraised value or above, move quickly, and can close in 90 days or less. Conservation groups, by contrast, move slowly, offer less, and depend on funding streams that can be disrupted by federal budget decisions outside anyone’s control.
Her advice to landowners is straightforward. If a conservation group has identified your property, it is likely a high-priority asset, possibly because it borders existing protected land, houses a rare species, or provides access to water resources.
However, the strategic value does not always translate into a higher offer, but it does mean the organization has strong motivation to complete the transaction. Tennessee launched a $25 million Farmland Preservation Fund in 2025 to support voluntary permanent conservation easements, offering landowners a new state-level option that does not carry the same federal funding dependencies that complicated the Hartford deal.
For landowners weighing conservation against development, Champagne-Deutekom argues the decision is ultimately personal. The legal and financial structures are complex enough to require counsel, but the commitment to keep land out of development is a values question that no attorney can answer for a client.
